CLASSIFICATION OF EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS WITH THE WOODCOCK-JOHNSON PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL BATTERY-REVISED

The extent to which the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery-Re vised (WJ-R) could discriminate effectively among 224 students who wer e classified as non-disabled, gifted, learning disabled, and mentally retarded was investigated. Ninety-two students aged 8 to 10 years and 132 students aged 16 to 18 years, classified in the four groups, were compared on their performance on the WJ-R standard cognitive and achie vement batteries. Significant differences (ANOVAs and Tukeys) were fou nd between and among all groups at each age level on the WJ-R dusters. Multiple discriminant function analyses found that the combined WJ-R standard cognitive and achievement batteries effectively discriminated among, and accurately predicted membership of students of both age gr oups into, the four classifications. Cross-validation classification a ccuracy was also high (80.5 % for ages 8-10 and 72.0 % for ages 16-18) and supports the use of the WJ-R in classification decisions. Implica tions for assessment and future classification-based research are disc ussed.